Q290. Thaipoosam is a major religious festival especially associated with which Indian state?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2023]
(A) Bihar
(B) Andhra Pradesh
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Goa
Answer: (C) Tamil Nadu
Explanation: Thaipusam, also spelled Thaipoosam, is celebrated mainly by Tamil Hindu communities in honour of Murugan. Devotees undertake processions and forms of penance, often carrying kavadi. The occasion falls near the Tamil month of Thai.
Q289. Which classical dance is performed to Carnatic music among the listed forms?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2023]
(A) Kathak
(B) Kuchipudi
(C) Odissi
(D) Sattriya
Answer: (B) Kuchipudi
Explanation: Kuchipudi developed in Andhra Pradesh and uses the Carnatic musical system. Performances combine pure rhythmic dance with dramatic storytelling and expressive passages. Kathak usually employs Hindustani music, while Odissi and Sattriya possess their own regional musical traditions.
Q288. Chhau dance is especially popular in which state among those given?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2023]
(A) Tamil Nadu
(B) Andhra Pradesh
(C) Kerala
(D) West Bengal
Answer: (D) West Bengal
Explanation: Purulia Chhau is a celebrated masked martial-dance tradition of West Bengal. Related styles are also performed in Seraikella, Jharkhand, and Mayurbhanj, Odisha. Themes frequently draw upon epics, heroic episodes and local folklore.
Q287. Kanak Rele was particularly associated with which Indian classical dance?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2023]
(A) Kathakali
(B) Bharatanatyam
(C) Sattriya
(D) Mohiniyattam
Answer: (D) Mohiniyattam
Explanation: Kanak Rele became a prominent performer, choreographer and researcher of Mohiniyattam, the classical dance of Kerala. She also founded the Nalanda Dance Research Centre, helping give systematic academic attention to traditional Indian dance practices.
Q286. The custom of breaking a suspended Dahi-Handi during festivities is linked to which festival?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2023]
(A) Janmashtami
(B) Buddha Purnima
(C) Mahashivaratri
(D) Ravidas Jayanti
Answer: (A) Janmashtami
Explanation: Dahi-Handi celebrations commemorate the childhood exploits of Krishna during Janmashtami. Teams form human pyramids to reach a decorated earthen pot suspended above the ground, especially in Maharashtra. The event has become an energetic public cultural tradition.
Q285. Powada, a ballad-performance folk tradition, is associated with which state?
[SSC CGL Tier I – 2023]
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Kerala
(D) Gujarat
Answer: (B) Maharashtra
Explanation: Powada is a Marathi ballad tradition featuring spirited narration of heroic deeds and historical episodes. Performers known as shahirs celebrate figures such as Shivaji through forceful singing and percussion. Its dramatic delivery combines oral history, music and community pride.
Q284. Which ancient Tamil practice called Vattakirutal is described in Sangam poems?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2023]
(A) Employment of royal female guards
(B) Debates among philosophers in royal assemblies
(C) Guarding crops against birds
(D) Ritual fasting to death by a defeated king
Answer: (D) Ritual fasting to death by a defeated king
Explanation: Vattakirutal or vadakkiruttal appears in Tamil Sangam literature as an act of ritual self-starvation, often connected with a ruler or warrior facing dishonour. It offers evidence of early Tamil heroic and ethical conventions.
Q283. How many author–text pairs are right:
Devichandragupta–Bilhana;
Hammira Mahakavya–Nayachandra Suri;
Milindapanha–Nagarjuna;
Nitivakyamrita–Somadeva Suri?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2023]
(A) Only one
(B) Only two
(C) Only three
(D) All four
Answer: (B) Only two
Explanation: Hammira Mahakavya is attributed to Nayachandra Suri, and Nitivakyamrita to Somadeva Suri. Devichandragupta is traditionally linked with Vishakhadatta, while Milindapanha records philosophical exchanges involving Nagasena, not authorship by Nagarjuna.
Q282. Which institution awards recognitions for achievement in classical Indian dance?
[SSC CHSL Tier I – 2023]
(A) INTACH
(B) Sangeet Natak Akademi
(C) Sahitya Akademi
(D) Lalit Kala Akademi
Answer: (B) Sangeet Natak Akademi
Explanation: The Sangeet Natak Akademi is India’s apex national academy devoted to music, dance and drama. Its annual awards honour outstanding performers and scholars, while Sahitya Akademi concentrates on literature and Lalit Kala Akademi on visual art.
Q281. Which distinction was conferred on the Manipuri dance guru Bipin Singh?
[SSC CHSL Tier I – 2023]
(A) Saraswati Samman
(B) Kalamandalam Puraskar
(C) Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
(D) Padma Shri
Answer: (C) Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Explanation: Guru Bipin Singh was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Manipuri dance. He taught, choreographed and helped revive traditional Manipuri repertoires, making a significant contribution to the national profile of the classical dance.
